French official 'very surprised' after Ghosn flees Japan

A senior official at France's economy ministry on Tuesday said she was "very surprised" by the flight of former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn from Japan to Lebanon, emphasising he was not above the law.

Ghosn said he had fled to Lebanon to escape injustice in Japan, where he was on bail awaiting trial on financial misconduct charges.

"I am very surprised. I found out from the media yesterday (Monday) evening," the state secretary at France's economy and finance ministry Agnes Pannier-Runacher told France Inter radio.

"As Mr Ghosn is a citizen like anyone else he is not above the law," she added.

"We need to understand exactly what happened," said Pannier-Runacher, the number two at the ministry led by Bruno Le Maire.

It was not clear how Ghosn managed to leave Japan, as his bail conditions prevented him from exiting the country where he had been held since his sudden arrest in November 2018 sent shockwaves through the business world.